


The Black Cat

by thesirensong



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Trans Male Morality | Patton Sanders, and he doesnt know how ppl who arent them work, both are sympathetic, but its not rly secretly lmao, but theyre not actually in the fic, hes just used to living and interacting with fellow assholes, hes not trying to be a dick at least, mentions of deceit and remus, patton has an implied bad home life but its not really dwelled on, patton is secretly a little shit, patton the muffin thief, shapeshifter AU, virgil is a bit of an asshole but he means well?, virgil is angsty but whats new?, young adult novel au i stg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:34:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23247103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesirensong/pseuds/thesirensong
Summary: "Well, a lot of YA novels are set in places like Salida and the paranormal life threatening plot and the romance subplot usually kick off when something new and out of the ordinary happens. Someone new moving in, or catching the attention of the very obviously paranormal people who already live there. We got the big three, I'm just saying if we're not careful one of us could be a main character in YA novel plot."Patton listened to Roman speak, and decided not to bring up the black cat with mismatching purple and green eyes that had been following him lately.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Comments: 59
Kudos: 180





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rosegoldroman](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosegoldroman/gifts).



> Fic trade with Logan (rosegoldroman)!!!! We both realized we hadn't written moxiety in a while, so I suggested this be a thing!!! And then this got really long and now my half is going to be two of the tropes (found family and shapeshifting) in a multichapter fic that hopefully won't go past ten chapters. Enjoy Logan ilysm!!!
> 
> Also fair warning the fic description is like. A seriously rewritten paragraph because I didn't wanna copy paste what I had.

“You know, I was reading last night-”

“A rare venture into a new world for you.”

“Shut up Logan, anyway I was reading a book I’d found last night and I was struck with the realization that we live in a Young Adult author’s dreamboat of an out of the way nondescript country town and have our own boogie monsters everyone is afraid of.”

Patton looked up from his doodling on his history homework, brows furrowing as he processed what Roman had just said while Logan looked at him like he had finally lost the marbles hanging on for dear life.

“What?”

“I’m inclined to agree with Patton, Roman,  _ what? _ ”

Roman huffed, sliding into the bench of the cafeteria table with a pout as he glared at Logan. Patton didn’t get a glare, likely because Roman insisted he could do no wrong in the teasing department.

Which isn’t the case but Patton wasn’t going to correct him and lose out on prime teasing material. Besides, he was genuinely confused by what his friend had just said.

“Keep up with me specs, I’m sure you’ve read plenty of YA adventure novels when you need a break from the sciency mumbo jargon-”

_ “Mumbo jargon?” _

“-you usually consume on a regular basis. Will you stop interrupting me?”

Logan stared at Roman for a few more seconds, but when their more eccentric friend didn’t back down, he sighed.

“Fine, continue with whatever nonsensical bullshit you were just about to spout in an assassination plot of my sanity.”

Roman nodded, satisfied.

“Thank you. Now as I was saying, think about it. We live in the middle of nowhere Colorado-”

“Factually incorrect, we live in Salida.”

“Logan I swear to God, I just asked you to stop interrupting me.”

Patton bit his lips, forcing himself to keep his mouth closed while he struggled to muffle his laughter as Logan and Roman glared at each other. If Roman gave in, they’d start bickering and Roman would never get to say his piece. If Logan did, he’d be sitting through the rest of their breakfast trying not to insult or interrupt their friend.

He had his money on Logan caving first, Roman was stubborn and he seemed to really want to get his thoughts out before class started.

As predicted, Logan gave a frustrated sigh and started tearing at his double chocolate muffin, shoving a chunk in his mouth while he ignored Roman’s satisfied smirk.

“Now, as I was saying, we live in the middle of nowhere Colorado,” Patton fought back another laugh at the clear dig at Logan’s interruption, “literally nothing happens here and we have town boogiemen that everyone fears because they never show their faces and one of them basically owns every politician running the place.”

Roman was listing things off on his fingers, clearly invested in what he was saying. Patton put down his pencil and reached over to grab a chunk from Logan’s muffin, snatching his hand back with the piece trapped between his fingers when Logan tried to grab for it.

“Okay, how does that make us a dreamboat for a Young Adult genre writer?” Patton asked, shoving the piece of muffin in his mouth while Logan glared at him.

His friend blinked, looking at Patton blankly for a moment. It lasted until Patton raised an eyebrow and Roman conceded the point that Patton didn’t read that much unless he was able to find an audio book so he could keep busy while he read and forged on.

“Okay, you’ve seen Twilight right Patton?” At Patton’s nod, Roman continued, “well a lot of YA novels are set in places similar. Forks, Oregon, or Gatlin, South Carolina. And usually they kick off when some out of the ordinary event takes place. Moving into the town, the scary not often seen person taking an interest in someone, yada yada yada.”

Patton continued to nod along, an image of the cat that had started waiting for him outside of his tiny home and following him everywhere popping into his mind.

“And why is this important, Roman?” Logan asked, huddling protectively over his muffin and glaring again at Patton when he grinned at him.

Roman huffed at the question, crossing his arms over the table and leaning towards the center of their little group. Patton followed his lead, practically sitting on the edge of his seat with an anticipating grin while Logan gave the two an unimpressed look.

They looked at him expectantly, and Logan rolled his eyes.

“I don’t know what you two are expecting from me, I’m not getting any closer to Patton lest he steal my entire muffin this time.”

Patton let out a mischievous giggle, resting his chin on the palm of his hand as he looked at Logan with a fake expression of innocence.

“Why Logan! I wouldn’t dare,” he said, putting on a southern belle accent to further his plea of not guilty.

Roman let out an uncontrolled snort while Logan went back to glaring. There was silence between the three while Patton blinked at Logan innocently and Logan glowered at Patton suspiciously.

“Just get over here, Specs, so I can say what I need to!”

Logan huffed, pushing his glasses up his nose as he leaned in closer, arms creating a wall between his muffin and Patton’s hands.

Patton just grinned, turning his attention back to Roman.

“Okay, importance of this topic, what is it?” Patton asked, eagerly paying attention to his friend now because Roman was getting into it and he loved it when Roman got dramatic.

“It’s important that we graduate school and get out of Salida before one of our lives gets put in danger for the sake of paranormal romance that could result in our deaths,” Roman said quickly and to the point, which was out of character for him.

Then Roman glanced at Logan and Patton had to struggle not to laugh because Roman had been worried about getting interrupted again before he could reach the dramatic reveal.

Logan was back to being unimpressed, leaning back and looking at the ceiling as if praying for patience.

“I want to leave this town as much as you do, Roman, but the paranormal does not exist and so little happens here anyway I doubt it’d come here to make itself at home.”

Patton, while Logan was distracted, snatched what was remaining of his muffin. Logan yelped, lunging to get it back while Patton struggled to get off the table bench, forcing back his snickers as he shoved some of the muffin in his mouth to take a massive bite from the side.

_ “Patton!” _ Logan screeched, stumbling as he got out of his own seat to chase after Patton.

He didn’t even stop to grab his things, but Patton had the advantage of already having packed up almost everything and clutching his history homework in his hands when the bell rang, signalling for students to make their way to class in the next five minutes.

Logan let out a despairing whine as he stopped chasing after him, Patton trying not to choke on his stolen muffin through his laughter as his friend retreated to gather his backpack and homework.

While he walked to class, finishing off the muffin as he focused on not getting shoulder checked by the other student, Patton made a mental note not to tell Roman about the cat that had started following him. It held too much intelligence and understanding in its mismatched green and purple eyes for him to be anything but sure Roman would insist he stay away from it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter twooooo. Tbh i have no idea when I'll be able to get the next chapter out because I'm out of internet at the moment and won't be able to get it back until me or my roommate gets a job and even then I've gotta worry about getting the money for rent first and it's just a massive financial struggle for me right now.
> 
> Still, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!!!

Patton liked to walk everywhere he went. It was calming and kept him enough in shape that moving from one place to another wasn’t a struggle and he wasn’t wheezing by the time he finished the first half of his trip. Plus, Roman had been right when he described Salida as small. It was often easier to walk everywhere he went than wait for his sister to stop yelling at some sports game he had no interest in to give him a ride.

So it was really no surprise he was walking now. Trying to get home from the library in the fading light of the day and trying not to get distracted watching the pretty colors cast over the mountains and light them up pinks and greens and oranges that took his breath away. He may have grown up here, but the sunrises and sunsets never failed to be beautiful.

He was  _ also  _ trying not to get too distracted being worried about the black cat he had yet to see. Patton had grown used to talking to it as he walked over the last week, chattering about anything and everything that came to his mind and he knew it was silly but sometimes he swore the cat could understand him with the way it would react to his stories. And he hadn’t seen it since Roman had been picked up by his mom.

With a weary sigh, Patton paused in his walk and looked around the area, moving a little in the direction of shaded bush to see if it was hiding. It did that sometimes when they were walking, hiding in places where there were shadows to avoid being seen. Patton had stopped the first few times but the cat didn’t show back up until he’d started walking again, so he stopped doing that.

“Where are you?” he mumbled to himself, feeling a little disappointed that this cat he’d grown so fond of wasn’t there to listen to him ramble.

“Looking for someone?”

Patton jumped with a surprised yelp, turning on his heel in the direction the unfamiliar voice had come from to stare with wide eyes at a shadowed figure hovering just out of reach of the setting sun, wearing a hoodie with the hood drawn up over his eyes, it and his bangs doing great work at keeping them hidden.

“Well goodness there, kiddo! You scared the bejeezus out of me.”

The figure seemed to emanate a raised eyebrow expression, getting a nervous giggle out of Patton because wow it sure was impressive he was able to give him an idea of his look without even  _ showing  _ the look.

“As for looking for someone… Well, sort of? There’s a cat that’s been following me for like a week now and I guess I’ve just grown used to being able to talk to it.”

The stranger was quiet for a moment, Patton shifting awkwardly on his feet while he waited for him to say something.

When he was about to excuse himself so he could finish his walk home, the stranger spoke up.

“...It’s getting dark, and Salida isn’t exactly the safest at night. I could, uh… I could walk you home and you could talk to me instead? Who knows, maybe the cat will show up in the meantime.”

Patton grinned at the idea, his unease shifting to delight at being able to have company on the rest of his walk.

“That sounds wonderful! I’d love that, if you’re really up for it!”

The stranger cleared his throat, then pushed away from the wall when Patton turned towards the direction he needed to go.

After a few moments of silence, Patton getting caught up in relishing the company and forgetting to talk, the stranger spoke up with a question.

“So uh… the cat? You said it started following you a week ago?”

Patton brightened at the topic, locking his arms behind his back and putting a little more swing into his steps so they were larger and more cartoonish.

“Yeah! I found it in the park by the Mississippi River, it was really friendly! And it seemed skittish so I started talking to it to try and like… ease it into friendship I guess?”

The stranger hummed, seeming amused by Patton’s animated movements and excited chatter. He didn’t even need to prompt Patton again, because he was more than willing to keep talking.

“And I saw it’s eyes. It had this really pretty heterochromia! Purple and green. I didn’t even  _ know  _ cats could have purple eyes. And this one had purple and green! How cool is that? Strange, but really cool. And like… not the bad type of strange either!”

The stranger nodded along, seeming content to let Patton talk.

“There’s a good type of strange?” he asked, his tone conversational but Patton could hear a hint of… something else.

“Well, yeah! Honestly, I think the bad type of strange is really rare? And it’s not exactly something you can come across easily.”

“Oh? What’s the criteria, then?”

Patton thought for a moment, looking up at the rapidly darkening sky as he considered the stranger’s question.

“I don’t really know what the criteria for bad strange might be, considering a lot of what I see in common media is just really ableist bullhonky, but the good strange is like… Well, I can list a few examples, if you want?”

The stranger took one hand out of his hoodie pocket to gesture at Patton, telling him to go on without words and making him grin.

“Well, good strange is like heterochromia or maybe… oh! My best friends! Roman sometimes wears a prince outfit to school. He looks all regal and it’s really cool and I know a lot of people give him weird looks when he wears it and think he’s strange for wearing something like that to high school, but I think it’s really admirable of him to do that. He’s putting himself out there! Making himself comfortable in his own skin and looking great doing it!”

Patton’s smile was soft now, his eyes on the broken asphalt of the road they were walking on, dangerously close to the edge because Patton couldn’t walk in the grass or he’d trip and there was no sidewalk for him to walk on.

“And then there’s Logan. He likes wearing semi formal wear at school. A lot of people make fun of him for it actually, because he looks like a nerd I guess? But he likes to look professional, and it’s what he’s comfortable in.  _ I _ happen to know when he’s at home he likes to wear his unicorn onesie or pajama pants and this really baggy t-shirt Roman gave him last year when we had a surprise sleepover at his place and Logan didn’t have any pajamas to wear.”

There was a comfortable silence after that, the stranger seeming lost in thought and Patton just continued thinking about his friends while he waited. He didn’t want to interrupt whatever this stranger was thinking, it seemed important and Patton was patient.

“...Is that really all that strange though?”

Patton looked at the stranger, watching him as he kicked at the loose gravel under their feet. He seemed… melancholic. Like there was a lot on his mind and he didn’t like where the thoughts were taking him.

“What do you mean?”

He frowned, the shadows of his hood deepening the lines on his face and making him seem older than he actually was. This stranger couldn’t possibly be much older than Patton himself, and yet he looked like he’d weathered years beyond that.

“I mean like… That’s just what they wear right? What about… What about people who think the whole world is out to get them despite never leaving their house? Or who have ideas that could make people not used to them sick to their stomach or-”

Patton watched the stranger, stopping in his walking as he listened and prompting him to stop as well.

“Or?” he prompted quietly, figuring that there was something he wanted to say, to get off his chest and remove a weight he was struggling to breathe under.

“...Or people who do things others can’t and they take advantage of that to get what they want because they can’t figure out how to do it like the rest of the world.”

Patton was quiet, watching the hooded stranger in contemplation. There was a lot he could say to that, like bringing back his point of ableism, or being direct and switching from hypotheticals to confronting whatever might be bothering him.

...Somehow, Patton didn’t think either of those would help.

“Well, if they’re not hurting anyone, themselves included, then what’s wrong with that?”

The stranger looked at him then, and Patton caught a flash of green in under his bangs. He smiled at him, soft and reassuring.

“Like I said, it’s rare to come across the bad type of strange in my personal opinion. And if someone can do something that others can’t and use it to do something others  _ can  _ that they have a hard time doing… well then more power to them!”

Patton started walking again, the stranger once again following his lead as he took to swinging his arms rather than his legs this time.

“Do you even know what the bad type of strange would look like?” he asked, his tone still heavy though more considering than somber this time.

“Oh definitely. I just couldn’t describe it to you without pulling on ableism that’s harmful to others who don’t deserve that.”

The stranger looked over at him, but Patton was no longer paying attention because he had spotted his home and was slowing from his normal pace to a crawl. His grin was still in place, and Patton hoped it looked more natural than strained, but his friends were always able to tell when he was faking a smile so he wasn’t sure.

“...I’m going to assume you live near here, so I’ll head off. It was nice talking to you Patton.”

Patton startled, looking in the direction the stranger had been only to see he was gone. His smile had dropped into a confused frown, looking around to see if he could find where he’d gone off to.

“That’s strange, I don’t remember giving him my name?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this update took so long!! Have some Patton being kinda sad to make up for it!

The cat was outside his window when Patton got to his room, letting out a loud mew to be let inside as soon as it spotted him.

“Oh! Well there you are little kitty! I was missing you,” he said softly, opening his window despite his better judgement.

Being allergic to cats was never fun as an animal lover, but it looked like it was going to rain and Patton didn’t wanna let the cat get  _ wet _ .

It hopped onto his desk, and then over to his bed settled nearby. Patton smiled softly as he closed the window, then took off his backpack and set it on his desk chair, pushing it just enough for the chair to spin slowly.

“I met the strangest person today, kitty. He seemed quiet, but he was nice enough to walk me home,” he started talking, moving towards his dresser so he could pull out a sports bra.

The cat meowed, and Patton looked over his shoulder to give it a small smile.

“I know, I know, I shouldn’t trust strangers. Especially in a town like Salida, but he didn’t seem bad, ya know? Just… troubled.”

As he spoke, Patton pulled off his shirt and looked at his worn, skin-toned binder with a small sigh.

“I’ve worn this too long again today, kitty. I was having so much fun with Roman and Logan at the library I totally forgot I was wearing it.”

Patton huffed a small laugh when the cat meowed in response, then started pulling off his binder. With the tight fabric off, Patton took a deep breath and winced at the way it felt like his ribs were stretching.

He carefully buried his binder under his bras, and then pulled on the sports bra followed by the shirt he’d been wearing all day (not quite ready to put on his pajamas) and sighed a breath of relief.

Turning back to his bed, Patton giggled at seeing the cat facing the wall, like it hadn’t wanted to see him undress.

“You’re so respectful, kitty. I should name you something so I’m not calling you kitty all the time,” he commented, walking towards his bed and sitting nearby the animal, crossing his legs and leaning back against the wall.

There was a weight on his lap, and though Patton knew he should push the kitty off and go take his allergy medicine, he couldn’t bring himself to.

So instead he started stroking his hand over the soft fur, smiling when a gentle purr kicked up.

“Okay, kitty names. What about… Fuzzykins?”

The purring stopped, and Patton looked down at the cat to see it giving him what could only be classified as a glare.

Laughing, Patton kept petting the cat.

“Okay, Fuzzykins is out. I’ll pick something more name like then. Let’s see. Black kitty, different colored eyes, incredibly intelligent… What about Salem? Like the talking cat on Sabrina the Teenage Witch?”

The purring got louder, and Patton grinned, lightly scratching Salem under his chin.

“Salem it is then. Did you know Roman came into school this morning talking silly about Salida being a Young Adult novel plot town?” he asked, sighing softly as Salem made a ‘mrrp’ sound at him.

Gosh he loved cats, he just hoped his allergies didn’t kick him too hard in the butt when they did kick in.

“Yeah. He insists that if anything weird happens it’s gonna kickstart life endangering romance and paranormal happenings. I didn’t tell him about you, I kinda figured he’d tell me to try and get you to stop following me, and I don’t really wanna do that. I like having the company when I walk.”

At this point, Patton had shifted until he was laying on his side. Salem was curled up against his chest, purring because he had yet to stop petting him.

“You’re a really sweet kitty, Salem. I wish my sister would let me actually get a pet. But she insists I wouldn’t be able to take care of one. Which is ridiculous! I was the only one who managed to keep the goldfish we got at the fair when we were little alive for two years! I’d be great at taking care of a pet.”

Patton sighed, feeling his face tingle now that he’d finally dropped the smile he’d been wearing most of the day. Tears pricked his eyes, and he buried his face into Salem’s fur.

He was  _ definitely  _ going to regret that later, but the comfort of having Salem cuddling into him was nice and he couldn’t help but relish in it.

“I know I have my friends, but sometimes I still feel really lonely. That’s… that’s pretty dumb isn’t it?” he asked softly, giggling when Salem bumped his head into Patton’s chin.

“Okay, Okay I’ll stop moping. I should get some homework done though-”

Before Patton could get up, Salem bapped his cheek with his paw, meowing at him in protest and he let out a flurry of uncontrollable giggles.

“Alright, five more minutes of cuddling, but I’ve got history and math homework to work on, okay?”

Salem increased his purring and rubbed his cheek against Patton’s face.

Patton sighed softly, resuming his petting and letting Salem nap against him as he stared at the wall opposite of his bed.

Sometimes Patton felt like something was missing. He’d grown up here, and sure he didn’t have his parents anymore but he barely remembered them anyway, it’s been so long since they passed.

And he had Roman and Logan, and they had plans of exploring the world as soon as they could. Patton was happy for them, though sometimes he wondered if leaving was something he wanted to do. Would they even want Patton to tag along if that were the case? Sure, they’ve been friends for years, but what if that was just because of school?

Salem shifted under his hand, and he lifted it until the cat had settled before resuming his petting, not looking at him the whole time as he got lost in his thoughts.

He probably shouldn’t worry about it as much as he did, but when Patton was home it was… difficult for him to ignore the uncertainty of the future and who he might still have when all was said and done.

His heart grew heavy in his chest, and Patton frowned, wiping at his eyes with the hand that hadn’t been petting Salem.

Maybe his allergies were kicking in?

...No, he usually broke out into a rash. He was just sad right now.

The thought made his brows furrow in confusion, and he looked down at Salem after he lifted himself onto his elbow.

“You’re a cat.”

Salem looked at him, and if Patton had to guess he’d be saying  _ you just noticed? _ If he could talk.

“No, Salem, you’re a  _ cat _ . And I’m not itchy yet even though we’ve been cuddling for fifteen minutes. I’m allergic to cats, why aren’t I breaking out into a rash?”

Salem seemed to freeze at that, eyes staring at him wide. Patton stared back, then broke out into a grin.

“Are you hypoallergenic? Oh my  _ gosh _ , that would be so cool? Pretty eyes, sweet personality, and you’re hypoallergenic? You’re like the most perfect kitty ever.”

Salem relaxed back against him, and Patton leaned down to place a little kiss against the kitty’s forehead.

“I hope you continue being my friend, Salem. I’d be sad if I couldn’t talk to you anymore,” he said softly, feeling his eyes get heavy.

He always got so tired when he got sad. Maybe an hour long nap wouldn’t hurt before he got started on his homework?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a discord server now!! Feel free to join, I look forward to seeing you!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took almost two months to write and I’m honestly so sorry for that but also like... It’s almost 2k words of platonic affection.

Waking up to the sun in his face sent a jolt of panic through Patton. There was still school to go to, and the sudden shouldn’t be out when he had to get up.

“Oh, crud!” he cursed, shooting out of his bed and cringing when he looked down at himself.

He didn’t have time to get changed, he’d have to go to school without a binder today. Gosh this was going to suck with his dysphoria, but he was late and he had to get out of the house.

A thought struck him, and Patton looked at his bed, and then under it, and then other places around his room. The window was still closed too, and Patton let out a noise of confusion because if that were the case, how did Salem get out?

Patton’s text tone went off, and he remembered he was supposed to be getting ready dang it! He’d worry about Salem when he wasn’t at risk for detention or his sister getting mad at him!

It was a rush to get ready, and since his sister had already left for the college he was going to have to walk to the school. Heck, he was going to miss so much of his classes.

He pulled out his phone, wincing when he saw it was approaching nine. Missed all of the first period already. Logan might be able to pick him up though? Now was his free period and he usually drove to school.

Decision made, Patton pulled up his text conversation with Logan and hit call, putting his phone on speaker while he struggled to get pants on.

“Patton? Where are you, it’s unlike you to miss school without warning us before it even starts.”

He winced, then let out a yelp when he nearly tripped.

“Are you alright?” Logan asked, clear worry in his tone as Patton sighed.

“Yep! Trying to get my pants on. Will you come pick me up? Morgan’s at college and if I call her-”

“Ah, the dragon witch, yes of course Patton, I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

The amount of affection and gratefulness he felt for Logan in that moment nearly overwhelmed Patton to the point of crying.

“Thanks Lo! See you in ten!”

Before Logan could respond, Patton tapped the end call on his phone and finished buttoning up his jeans before he shoved his phone in his pocket.

With a sigh and a frown at his dresser drawer, Patton grabbed his backpack and then made his way to the bathroom to fix his bed-head. The brush caught a couple times in his curly hair, and he hissed in pain (the sound bringing his mind back to Salem for a moment) before he decided the mess was tamed enough.

Patton was at the top of the stairs when he heard the TV on and felt his heart sink into his stomach.

Was his sister home? She had _class_ today, why the heck would she be home?

Making his way downstairs, Patton did his best to creep as quietly as possible. As soon as he was able he peeked around the corner of the wall to see Morgan passed out on the couch, arm thrown over her eyes and mouth hanging open.

There was drool on her mouth, she was still asleep. He’d have to skip breakfast if he wanted to get passed her without waking her up.

His stomach growled in protest at the thought and Patton winced. That’s right… he’d skipped dinner last night too.

With a deep breath, Patton shook off his hunger and tiptoed through the living room. He kept his eyes either on the couch or the door, straining hard to make sure she didn’t wake up until he had his shoes in hand and was out the door.

Sighing in relief, Patton sat on the concrete step and shoved his feet in his shoes, glancing up every few seconds to watch for Logan.

Hearing Logan’s truck pull up made his heart leap into his throat, and he rushed to get in so they could leave faster.

“You’re rushing,” Logan commented while Patton pulled his seatbelt over his chest, wincing at the way it nestled against his chest and making his breasts way more pronounced than he wanted.

“Yeah, Morgan over slept too apparently,” he responded, looking up to eye the door and windows while Logan shifted gears.

“Your sister is infuriatingly hypocritical.”

Patton sagged when Logan finally pulled away and he didn’t see any signs of his sister having woken up.

“Not like I can do anything about it, Lo,” he said, pulling the seatbelt away from his chest and staring out the window while he played with it.

Logan hummed, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel.

“My offer for you to stay with me still stands.”

Shaking his head, Patton sighed and let go of the seat belt. He didn’t answer verbally though, not really having the energy to fight with Logan about why he didn’t want to do that.

Silence filled the truck, and Patton settled in to deal with how _awkward_ he felt by pulling on the seatbelt intermittently until Logan pulled into the school parking lot.

Patton didn’t really want to go inside. Didn’t really want to deal with feeling like everyone was going to be staring at his chest.

“If you’d turn around, Patton, you’d see the sweatshirt I’m holding out to you,” Logan said, making Patton do as he narrated.

Holy heck that was a massive hoodie.

“Is that… Is that _Teagan’s?_ ” he asked, grabbing the navy fabric and holding it up.

“It _was._ I borrowed it when he moved out for college,” Logan said, unbuckling his seatbelt before turning off the truck and pulling his keys out of the ignition.

Patton looked at Logan, then raised an eyebrow.

“You stole it from him while he was packing, didn’t you?”

Logan cleared his throat, hiding the embarrassed tint of his cheeks by climbing out of the truck and making Patton giggle at his expense.

“He never used it, I just wanted to re-purpose it in case something like this happened.”

Patton felt his affection from earlier return, and he climbed out of the truck himself before pulling the hoodie over his head and breathing a sigh of relief at how it hung off his frame.

“Yeah, yeah. Thanks Lo, I really appreciate it. Where’s Roman? Doesn’t he have a free period this period too?”

Logan scowled, though it was probably because Roman said something stupid to irritate him again rather than actual anger at their friend, and pointed at the building by the stairs.

Following his finger, Patton grinned when he saw Roman sitting in the grass hidden by the shade. He started waving his arm over his head, but when that failed to get his friend’s attention he took off in his direction, trusting Logan to follow behind.

Roman didn’t notice him until he slid across the grass like a baseball player would to base, a yelp escaping him followed soon by groan and a giggle.

“Padre! You made it!” he exclaimed, earning a ‘shut up’ glare from Logan before he looked around to make sure there were no teachers around while Patton was supposed to be in class.

“I did!” Patton shouted just as loudly, making Logan rub the bridge of his nose between his thumb and pointer finger.

“You two are impossible. Patton, do you _want_ to get in trouble?” he asked, sitting across from the two while Patton draped himself in Roman’s lap.

“No! We’re in _love_ specs! Do you really want to break up our wonderful chemistry? Become a home wrecker? Are you really that cruel of a man?”

While Roman spoke, he wrapped his arms around Patton and maneuvered him until he was resting against his shoulder. All the while Patton giggled, resting a hand on Roman’s chest and doing his best to give Logan his best impression of a hurt look.

His laughter _definitely_ ruined the effect, but based on the fact that Logan was struggling not to smile, Patton thought it hit home well enough.

“Insufferable, both of you. Patton you need to get to class, you can’t stay here the rest of the period.”

Patton let out a whine and sagged in Roman’s arms, letting out an ‘oof’ when he dropped him back into his lap.

Well, he’d been _planning_ on complaining, but now he was giggling too hard to continue.

Roman seemed to have him covered though, because he pushed Patton off his lap and stood up with gusto to wrap an arm around Logan’s shoulders.

“We’re not skipping,” Logan spoke before Roman had a chance to say his piece, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Oh come _on_ Lo! We need a break! School in Salida is stressful! One missed day won’t hurt us, consider it a mental health day!”

Patton lifted himself off the ground, shifting until he was sitting cross-legged in the grass as he looked up at Logan and Roman in consideration.

“I- That sounds really nice actually. Morgan-”

“Ugh, Dragon Bitch.”

“-only answers the phone when it’s one of her friends, so I shouldn’t get in trouble for it.”

Logan sighed, looking between the two for a moment before dropping his arms in defeat.

“Alright, fine. Mental health is just as important as physical, skipping it is.”

Roman let out a cheer, though Logan cut him off quickly by clamping his hand over his mouth. Patton started giggling again, getting up from the ground and grabbing his backpack that’d he’d flung off him so he could be dramatic in Roman’s lap.

“I’d ask if you were stupid, but you asked me what the capital of Paris was last week,” Logan hissed, looking at what they could see of the school doors to make sure a teacher wasn’t about to come out and ask what they were doing.

With a roll of his eyes, Roman pulled Logan’s hand off his mouth.

“Relax, specs. The only one here who has a class right now is Patton and _he_ knows how to sweet talk his way out of being in trouble.”

Logan sighed again, rolling his eyes to the sky.

“I don’t have enough patience to deal with you.”

Roman grinned at him, tightening his grip on Logan’s shoulders before suddenly rubbing his knuckles over his hair and earning a yelp.

“We should go to the park! The one by the river so we can watch all the birds!”

Patton watched the two interact, giggles still occasionally bursting out of him.

He just hoped Salem wasn’t at the park today, considering that was the one he’d met him in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [I have a discord server!! Feel free to join and watch me cry over all of my wips.](https://discord.gg/7BmynET)


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